


Lady Lannister

by lewispanda



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Kid Fic, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-11-24 12:58:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20908046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lewispanda/pseuds/lewispanda
Summary: To help Sansa accommodate better in her new home, Jaime tells her a story about a brave and chivalrous knight - ser Brienne, the Lady of Casterly Rock.





	Lady Lannister

**Author's Note:**

> Huuuge thanks to tarthiana who was my beta!
> 
> For the drabble prompt: gift exchange.

In all of his 26 years, getting the sole custody of Sansa Stark was the last thing Jaime had expected. 

He had been friends with Catelyn for most of his life and had even become the godfather of her only child - after Cat had told Ned to ‘shove his prejudices and act decent.’ But, for Jaime, the idea of Earth without Catelyn Stark nee Tully and her motherly instincts was impossible to wrap his head around. She was indestructible; a force that could carry mountains and order whole forests to replant somewhere else. And someone who could survive every car crash.

Yet, here he was - with Sansa’s fiery head and blue eyes as the only things left of Catelyn. 

Soft footsteps woke him up from a restless slumber. The little girl was standing in the doorway, clutching her plush direwolf to her chest and looking at him shyly. He could see her glance towards her own room then take a step in that direction, only to move further into his room a moment later.

“Can’t sleep again?” he asked softly, rubbing sleep from his own eyes. Those past weeks had been terrible for him - he couldn’t even imagine what they had been like for a 7-year-old who had suddenly lost both her parents. Jaime and her cousin Jon were all that was left of her family. 

“Want to sleep in my bed again?” he offered.

Sansa nodded without hesitation then climbed under the covers next to him. Her eyes weren’t red or puffy, but from up close Jaime could see that her braid had come loose. She had been probably moving in her sleep again. 

“Do you want me to tell you a story?” He had tried everything he could think of to make Sansa more comfortable at Casterly Rock - brought all of her stuff there and bought her clothes and toys, asked the cook to bake fresh lemon cakes every day, spent all of his free time with the girl, painted her bedroom pink then re-painted it blue after she had decided she hadn’t liked like the color - but none of those things had seemed to work much. Her therapist had told him she needed time, but it pained him to see her rarely crack a smile. 

Blue eyes looked up at him with interest. 

Jaime had never told anyone a bedtime story. When Tyrion had been little their nanny used to read to him from one of the countless books they had owned. But, occasionally, Brienne would sit down and make up a story about gallant knights or wise wizards, and his little brother would listen to it, enraptured. Jaime had pretended to be disinterested every time, but by the end of each tale he had begged his best friend to tell them another one. For the sake of Tyrion, of course.

“What story would you like to hear?” he asked the little girl.

“About a lady,” Sansa replied, hugging her direwolf tighter.

“A lady, huh?”

Even this young Sansa was already  _ regal  _ \- there was no other way to describe how she held herself and how she interacted with others. It came as no surprise that she wanted to hear about beautiful ladies who were saved by charming princes. “In a land far, far away, lived a beautiful princess. She spent all of her time picking flowers and singing to forest animals…”

“No!” Sansa interrupted, with much more energy than anyone should have after midnight, in Jaime’s opinion. “I want to hear about a brave lady!” The request bewildered the man slightly, and his fuzzy brain needed time to adjust. Sansa patiently waited for him to start over.

“Do you know that the staff at Casterly Rock believes that there always has to be a Lady Lannister living inside those walls?” In his tiredness Jaime’s mind reached for the first idea available - the truth. “It is said to bring good luck to the household.”

The little girl didn’t reply but closed her eyes, which Jaime took as a good sign to continue. “There used to be a period when the castle was inhabited only by two brothers. They lived happily but felt that there was something missing.” Putting Tywin inside a children’ tale just felt  _ wrong _ , so Jaime skipped him as a character. “Until one day she came along. She was strong, and taller than anyone the brothers knew. She had very fair hair, almost as white as the Targaryens - whose royal blood ran in her veins - and the most astonishing eyes anyone had ever seen. They were as blue as sapphires. Sapphires are very expensive gems that decorate jewellery,” he explained, not knowing if Sansa had any idea what a sapphire was. “And they were kind. Even those who claimed she wasn’t a beauty had to admit her eyes  _ were _ beautiful. But their opinions were wrong - Lady Lannister was the most magnificent woman in the world. And two brothers knew that.”

Young Jaime had befriended Brienne because their families had been from the same circles. The Tarths hadn’t been as rich as the Lannisters, but they had been respected by all the great families living in Westeros.

Very quickly Brienne had become a constant guest at Casterly Rock. She and Jaime had run through corridors or played with plastic swords under the watchful gaze of the staff - their fathers usually attending business meetings or galas; their mothers long gone. Tyrion had been too little to play with them, so they would watch him when they got tired, eating snacks and talking to a little boy.

Truth to what Jaime had told Sansa, there had been a myth that Casterly Rock needs to have a Lady Lannister to prosper - some of the staff members had treated it as nothing more than a joyous tale, some actually believed it to be true with all their hearts. Even those who had not believed had seen how all the happiness had been slowly draining from the manor and its inhabitants ever since Joanna Lannister had died. Until Brienne had come along.

She had a kind word and a helping hand to anyone - from the youngest to the oldest member of the household. So, soon, they had started to call her Lady Lannister behind Tywin’s back. Jaime had been the first Lannister to hear the title when the old gardener had teased him about it. When he would make an honest woman out of Lady Lannister and ask for her hand? He had been only 8 and not much into that idea, so he had blushed and stammered around Brienne for a whole day until she had grown tired of his behaviour and knocked him into the mud with her sword. Then it had been her turn to blush furiously, as he had confessed what had happened.

“Uncle Jaime,” Sansa had brought him back to reality, tugging at his hand. “There needs to be an adventure,” she explained to him.

“Oh, yes, there were many, many adventures. One time, the older brother had been captured by bandits. They demanded a ransom for his safe return. The younger brother got their letter and began to collect money, but Lady Lannister prefered to act. She grabbed her sword and mounted her horse, then took off towards the woods.”

When he had been 10, he had jumped over the fence to retrieve a ball he had kicked onto his neighbour’s parcel. Once he had landed on the plush grass, Jaime had been met with a growling dog. He couldn’t move nor make a sound, afraid of the animal. He was forever grateful that Brienne had come over that day and decided to go looking for him, both of their plastic swords in hand. “It was a good thing she did, because the bandits changed their mind and decided to throw the older brother into the bear pit for entertainment.”

“Wasn’t he a lord?” Sansa interrupted, her eyes closed again.

“Of course he was a lord. The lord of Casterly Rock,” Jaime corrected himself, sheepish that he had omitted it. He blamed it on lack of sleep. “She got there just in time. Without waiting a second, she jumped into the bear pit with her sword and got between the lord and the animal.” Should the Lady kill the bear? Jaime had heard stories about knights slaying dragons but he had no idea how educational would it be to tell a young girl someone gutted a bear. In reality, Brienne certainly hadn’t killed Bolton’s dog, only screamed at it and threw her plastic sword in the air. “She waved her sword in front of the beast, and it got scared and retreated into its cage. Then the Lady lifted herself up from the pit, pulled the lord out of it as well, and declared that she was taking him back to Casterly Rock. No one dared to go against her wish.” Once Roose Bolton had heard the screams, he ran outside. The older man was ready to call Tywin and demand apologies, but Brienne told him Mr. Lannister would only be angry that his son had been in danger. He let them go but kept the ball.

“They came back, riding the same horse...” Jaime began again, but one glance down told him Sansa was already asleep. He tucked the covers tighter around her before closing his own eyes.

That night they both slept peacefully till morning.

Sansa asked him for another story as he was making pancakes for the both of them.

“The honourable Lady knight did not only protect the Lord-” he paused, “Have I told you she was a knight?” Jaime looked over his shoulder and saw Sansa shake her head. “She was a knight. The bravest and most honourable knight anyone has ever seen. People always came to her to ask for her protection or help, and she rarely refused. But, one time, she had been asked to save the daughters of another lady. They had been kidnapped and sent in two different directions. Time was of essence, because no one knew if the girls were still alive. Lady Lannister knew she had to go on a dangerous journey to far away places that were really dangerous, and neither of the lords could go with her this time.” Jaime flipped a few pancakes, letting them turn golden-brown on the other side. “The older lord knew Lady Lannister could defend herself in combat, but he still feared for her safety. So he had commissioned the finest armour, and took his own Valyrian sword and gifted it to her.” 

He took the pancakes off the heat and piled them up on a plate, then brought them to Sansa. She liked to drench them in strawberry syrup. “Only few of those swords existed. They were very sharp and could cut through everything. The hilt was decorated with precious stones and was modeled after the lord’s sigil.” Jaime’s father had gifted him with a precious watch once he had started middle school. It had been custom-made - engraved with the Lannister Lion, made out of the finest leather and decorated with rubies and golden swirls. It came in handy during tests because, for some reason, their school hadn’t had any clocks, and the teachers had  _ refused _ to tell them the time during exams. One time Brienne’s own watch had broken right before a big test, and Jaime hadn’t even thought before insisting she take his. “The Lady of course refused, not wanting such a precious gift. So the lord told her he was merely lending it to her, to return once she completes her task. After all, he wanted her to have the best tools.”

“Did she find the girls?” Sansa asked. Any other child would do so around a mouthful of food, but she had waited to swallow first. Ever the lady.

“Of course she found them. She found them and brought them to their mother, then went straight to the lord to give him back his sword.” Brienne had worn the watch for a whole week before going to Jaime to return the prized possession, once the exams were over. “But the lord didn’t want it back. ‘It’s yours,’ he told her. ‘It will always be yours.’” Jaime’s voice broke a little bit, repeating the familiar phrase from years ago. He had wanted her to have it - wanted her to carry something with a Lannister crest on it. Something that was a part of him.

“Lady Lannister kept it, but not long after she had visited the lord again, baring gifts of her own.” Brienne had waited until they were at his house, before giving him her gift. It was a pen - something as practical as his gift. Yet, after a closer inspection, Jaime had found stars and moons engraved into it - Tarth symbols.

“It was a quill as blue as her eyes. As blue as the waters of the isle she had come from. Something that could serve him and remind him of her at the same time.” He plated his own batch of pancakes and joined Sansa at the kitchen table.

“As if he could ever forget the Lady of Casterly Rock.” Sansa’s voice echoed Jaime’s own sentiment.

They continued their new routine in a similar manner - every night Jaime would tell Sansa one story about the adventures of Lady Lannister before bed. On nights when the girl couldn’t sleep, he would tell her another one, but those occasions grew sparse with time. 

He also saw her play around the manor more and more. The little girl would drag her plush toys and dolls to stone window sills or alcoves to host tea parties for them. She would run through the long corridors, measuring how fast she could go from one room to another. More than once he had to press his body close to the walls to avoid Sansa colliding with him. Were Tywin alive, he would disapprove of such games - but Jaime didn’t have it in him to forbid her to do something he had once done himself. Especially if it meant hearing her laughter.

“I used to tell you all the time that Casterly Rock can only work when Lady Lannister is there,” Emmon told him one day. Jaime and the old cook were watching Sansa catalog every single item in the pantry, making notes of what they would run out of soon. She had started doing so after she had watched a romantic comedy focused on cooking and turned out to be surprisingly great at it, considering her age.

“I don’t think she would appreciate being called that. She’s a Stark through and through, and I’m not going to call her anything but.” Even suggesting changing Sansa’s surname felt wrong. Jaime would always be her guardian and father figure, but unless the girl asked to be a Lannister herself, he would never put it into motion.

“Silly boy, I’m not talking about Sansa,” Emmon scolded Jaime with fondness reserved for someone who had known the Lannister heir from infancy. “This girl is a copy of her mother. I’m talking about  _ her _ ,” he stated with a smile that was only met with a confused stare. The cook placed one hand on Jaime’s shoulder and the other on his heart. “We heard you talk about Brienne.  You told Sansa about the adventures the two of you had together, , even if the girl doesn’t know her beloved hero has walked those corridors not that long ago.” He pressed his hand more firmly on Jaime’s chest. “She may have left Westeros, but she never left this place, not really. She was always  _ here _ .” 

The weight and warmth against Jaime’s heart suddenly felt like too much.

“Genna and I were very worried for you.” Emmon and Genna were the only staff members who had been there when Brienne lived in the city. “You closed yourself off after she left. You looked after Tyrion and smiled enough to fool your father, but for us it was clear how much you hurt. How much you loved her. You may have pushed those feelings to the back of your mind when she wasn’t around, but now that she’s living within those walls again, they are back with full force.”

It was too much for Jaime. He couldn’t stand the worry in Emmon’s voice, let alone ponder whether what he had said was true.

He didn’t have to think about it. He already knew the answer.

“Sansa, do you want to go to the park?” The voice of the gardener interrupted the moment and Emmon took a step back to let Sansa run out of the pantry, screaming ‘yesssss’ at Addam enthusiastically. 

That evening as Jaime braided Sansa’s hair into an intricate pattern before dinner, he could feel the unwavering blue eyes trained at his reflection in the mirror. He tried his best to ignore them, feeling that nothing could come out of such a perceptive gaze, but he never had a chance at peace - little Sansa was too much like her mother when it came to reading people. 

“Why is she not here?” she asked, swinging her legs back and forth.

He paused his work, considering her words.

“I’m not dumb. I know she was real,” the girl continued with a frown.

“You’re not dumb. You are very smart, and anyone who thinks otherwise is dumb,” Jaime replied, then leaned down to kiss Sansa’s head. 

“You’re not dumb either, Uncle Jaime.” She turned to wrap her arms around him. He returned the hug. It almost felt as if  _ she _ was the one supporting his body upright, not the other way around. “You struggle with reading, but you have an amazing memory. You make the best pancakes in the world, even better than mom did.” He could hear her sniffle against his shoulder, so he pulled her closer. “You tell terrible dad jokes and embarrass me in front of all my friends.” Jaime internally swore to never do that again. “But they all love you. The Lady knight from your stories loved the Lord, otherwise she wouldn’t save him so many times. She must have loved you as well. Why isn’t she your wife?”

Jaime felt his body go stiff. It was so simple, put like that. He had loved Brienne. Brienne had loved him. Why weren’t they together?

Because life didn’t work that way.

“One day the Lord of Casterly Rock realised just how much he loved the Lady of Casterly Rock,” Jaime started. He had been 16 then, Brienne only a few months younger. He had been reluctant to admit he had had a crush on his best friend, then had needed a few weeks to gather the courage to tell her. He had chickened out a few times, and almost ruined everything by kissing her at random moments. But, finally, he had woken up one morning determined to ask her to be his girlfriend.

“But the Lady needed to leave her ancestral home behind and move far, far away, to live with her father.” Brienne had burst through the front door in the middle of the breakfast, red and out of breath. Jaime had stood up so suddenly he had knocked the chair over, but he hadn’t even realised; he had rushed to her side and held her, asking what had been wrong. In between crying and begging him to hide her somewhere, Brienne finally explained that her father had sold Evenfall Hall due to money problems. She had only found out that morning they were leaving because she had seen a moving van pull into their driveway. He had grabbed her hand and ran with her upstairs.

“She wanted to stay. He wanted her to stay. But her duties called.” Once Selwyn Tarth had found them, Jaime had been positive he would have to drag Brienne away. The two had barricaded themselves in Jaime’s room, pushing the heavy oakwood dresser against the door then stumbling onto the floor next to it. She had held him so tightly Jaime swore he could still feel the bruises caused by it - a phantom pain, easier to bear than a broken heart.

But eventually she walked out, giving in to her father’s pleas, knowing it had been unavoidable.

“Let’s go downstairs or else we’ll be late for dinner,” Jaime said. Sansa nodded against his chest and let go of him. Her braid was still unfinished, but she walked out of the room, giving him a moment to collect himself before he would have to face anyone.  _ Smart girl _ , he thought.  _ Smart and kind like her mother. Like  _ Brienne.

He should have fought tooth and claw for her to stay. Should have begged his father to do something. Should have contracted her after years and not chicken out countless times, after staring at her Facebook picture. Why did he give up on her?

Sansa’s loud giggle finally lured him out of the room.

“Look who I have found!” Genna’s voice called from the entry hall, and Sansa’s laughs seemed to be coming from there as well. Jaime followed the noises and barely managed to register the little girl saying, “You’re so pretty! Just as uncle Jaime said!” Before he came eye to eye with her.

With Brienne.

She hadn’t changed much. Same pale hair, cut short. Same crooked nose, broken twice during their adventures. Same freckles, mapping her skin like constellations. Similar height difference, towering an inch or two above him.

But her eyes were more vibrant than he had remembered.

“Jaime,” she greeted him shyly. Her blush was also the same - blotchy and spreading all over her skin. Familiar.  _ Perfect _ . 

“What is happening?” Emmon emerged from the kitchen, wanting to know what all the commotion was about.

“I found her in the city,” Brienne’s sole focus was still on Jaime, their eyes locked together, so Genna had been the one to reply. “Apparently she had been in the city for a few days, gathering courage to come here. Was afraid that she was no longer welcome!” the old woman exclaimed incredulously, not caring that she was spilling what Brienne had told her in secret. “Silly girl. How could she not be welcome here? The Lady Lannister of Casterly Rock!” 

The old title and Sansa’s giggle brought Brienne’s attention back to other people. She opened her mouth - probably to protest, Jaime assumed - but he didn’t give her the chance.

In a few long strides he closed the distance between them, grabbed the lapels of her coat and pulled her down for a kiss.

Her lips were as soft as he had imagined, and tasted faintly of honey. At first they haven’t moved against his and Jaime began to panic, but before the feeling could settle in, her hand tangled in his hair, and she licked his bottom lip, scrapping it gently with her teeth. Her other hand landed on his hip and pulled his lower body flush against hers. Taking it as an invitation to deepen the kiss, Jaime opened his mouth, but before they could do anything more they were interrupted by someone pointedly clearing their throat.

“I’m - I’m sorry, I,” Jaime stammered, still holding onto the lapels of Brienne’s coat as if his life depended on it. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Of course. My apologies, I got carried away as well,” Brienne said pulling back, her tone clipped and her eyes avoiding his. He knew her well - she didn’t believe he could want this, want  _ her _ .

Now he was sad that she hadn’t changed at all.

“No,” he stated firmly, his grip on her clothes keeping her in place. “This kiss was long overdue. A whole fucking decade.” Sansa snorted at the curse word. “But I should have taken you out first. On a proper date. And ask if you wanted to be kissed, not assume so.”

Blue eyes snapped back to his and searched his face for any sign of a lie. After finding none, her shoulders finally relaxed, and she even smiled slightly. “I agree. It was long overdue.” Her large hands covered his, and she untangled them from the lapels of her coat, only to lace their fingers together. “But all is forgiven and good.” The last word sounded more like a question, so he repeated.

“All is forgiven and good.”

“How about you catch up over a nice dinner? I wanted to show Sansa the new recipe book I had ordered, and we might as well start now. She should choose a pie or a cake for tomorrow.” Jaime was grateful for his excuse. He nodded at the old man, giving him permission to usher the reluctant Sansa towards the kitchens, Genna following behind. “Don’t worry - she’s not going anywhere this time,” They both heard as the door closed.


End file.
